And for the first time in its century-long history, an amateur will compete with professionals for the award.

Sean Murray, a nurse from Ashington in Northumberland, claimed his spot on the main bloom-lined boulevard after winning the BBC's Great Chelsea Garden Challenge.

Also hoping to get the royal seal of approval is designer Matt Keightley (30), who has created a Southern-African-themed garden for Sentebale, a charity co-founded by Prince Harry which helps poor children in the small kingdom of Lesotho. Around 165,000 people are expected to visit the Chelsea show this year which runs until Saturday.